this is a very interesting show. i feel that it pails in comparision to the two nights surrounding it, but that mostly shows the strength of those two shows. it is leaps and bounds better than the 94 msg show, phish's first romp in the garden. they seemed to be a wee bit nervous and apprensive in 94, but they took the stage at the garden in 95 with the upmost confidence.

prince caspian is one of my least favorite phish songs, but it kind of works here in the opening slot at the garden. also, it also serves as a good precursor to a 2nd song in the show 2001. this one is not as deep as some of the ones they would get into in 2 years, but for 95, this is a pretty damn good 2001. page gets in some nice dark funky licks while fishman and trey work the tension and release. suzy comes burning out of this 2001. page, once again, was really jamming on this one. a nice intricate midset bowie works well out after suzy, and this is where trey really starts to take off. this bowie is not the best in the world, but for this part of the show, it is well-paced with some decent exploration. did somebody say sky scrapers. a nice early version of simple shines after bowie. like 2001 earlier in the set, this one does not take off like it would in the next couple of years, but it certainly rocks and the shorter jam at the end gives one an idea of what might be to come out of this one in later years. it's ice comes out of the spacey ending of simple, and they delve deep in the middle section finding kung. trey must have listened to the louisville tapes from the fall and decided it was so sick they should do it again. they wrap up this super sharp ice and dive right into tmwsiy/aven/tmwsiy. this one is one of my favorites, and they tear it up hear, rocking the garden crowd. the divided sky soars, as trey really zips after the silent part. they take on a bonus sample for good measure.

so your at the garden. its cold as shit outside. hmmm... what to open the second set with. oh, summer time breezey yamar should work. this is a very fun yamar with some decent trey licks scattered throughout. then, they keep you guessing by springing a pretty rocking free. this jam really develops through '95, and they put out a really strong version of this song at the garden as the year comes to a close. they didn't know they could put a funkier jam on free, so they are really giving it a hard edge here. good stuff. keeping the crowd guessing, they throw out a monster harry hood. page and trey chase each other brilliantly through this one. hood was another song that was being played really well in 95, and this one might take the cake. fishman and gordon keep the tempo brilliantly and trey and page just dance. after making us feel good about hood, they slam right into a rowdy ac/dc bag. this one is not the jammer they would through out exactly 2 years later, but it is played very well, like most 95 versions of this tune. life boy provides a nice dark cool down before it is time to smell the mule. typical mule insanity then ensues. like the rest of this set, this one is hot. trey really nails the middle section. a nice rocking cavern appears to close down this set before they kick down a bonus antelope. trey really gives you a taste of what is to come the next night on this antelope. very hot trey licks. after debuting aditl over the summer, they spring on the msg crowd in the encore slot. it is well played and well received.

overall, this is an impressive show, even on the stout " 95 ny run" standard. while this show lacks really monster jams, with the exception of hood, it still works. the first set just had that excellent flow. it is like they never broke stride, and every song compliments the song before and after it. the next set was one to keep you guessing, from start to finish. they seemed to be really going for the juxtaposition thing in the second set. the run from yamar-free-hood really covers a lot of ground, and it fully display phish's many styles and talents. also, throughout this show, it seemed they played the songs that they had really been playing well all year. sure, some of them were kept in the stable until nye, mike's song, reba, maze, yem, etc., but they through some sure fire 95 winners out there, simple, ice, bowie, free, hood, bag, mule, antelope. good strong show. if you want to know what 95 is all about, at its best, check out this four night ny run, especially 12/29-31.

I had only become aware of Phish when DWD started hitting the airwaves the year before. It intrigued me enough to go out and buy Hoist. Pretty soon, the album was in heavy rotation, and stayed that way until A Live one came out. Bought that immediately; took it home; played it... went back to the record store, buying Junta and Lawnboy. There was nothing but Phish in the player for months. Started looking into when they were playing in my area, finding that I had just missed them at Jones Beach...

... but there was going to be a New Year's Run at MSG!

Already aware they didn't repeat material during a run, I tried for, and got, tickets for both nights - blissfully unaware of how tough that was to do. 100's - directly in front of the stage.

Knowing the albums as you do, take another look at the set-list. You can see what I was intimately familiar with, what I was introduced to, and the layout of those songs within the context of the sets. This was the Best Introduction to "The Phlow" I could have possibly gotten.

Then came the now infamous NYE '95 and the rest is history. I have been to many a fantastic show/festival since, but these two nights will always remain my favorite for their ability to still shower me with lightness...

If you have the time, hunt em up. Play em again. Listen with my virgin ears... Can you hear what I did?

A very, very solid show, smack dab in the middle of a historic Phish run. The show's opening numbers indicate the band is getting ready for some hard rocking to follow. Prince Caspian opened with Trey taking the stage by himself for the opening bars, joined then by Fish, then Mike and Page. Kind of a warm up for Trey-no jamming on this version--I had the impression he was feeling out the acoustics and vibe. 2001 is next, for a preview of the next two night's journey. Set I continues with excellent 1995 versions of Bowie, TWIMSY, and Sample. Don't miss the Hood>AC/DC Bag in Set II. The Antelope is a classic Trey shred platform. The encore of A Day in the Life is one of the finest versions I have heard them perform. Great show!

My first MSG experience, I was in NYC for a week my friend was attending school in Manhattan and I figured I would visit for a true NYC experience. I was heading to the ball drop the following night and did everything in my power to trade my tickets for NYE show, it fell on deaf ears, very tough ticket to possess. Anyway I was lucky enough to catch the night before.
SET ONE- Caspian, wow! as an opener, Okay. 2001 > Suzie kept the energy in check and the entire venue was feeling this, Bowie > Simple > It's Ice. Another three pump power packet. I was loving this, it's 1995 and MSG. Christmas just passed and New Years is on the heels. Then Fishman began KUNG, Holy Crap! TMWSIY. My first time hearing this, loved every second of this and was completely shocked, another power ballad which emerged into The Divided Sky. A rare treat, I was thinking the set was done, and Phish pulled out Sample in a Jar. At this time I knew this show was going to be and was something of a post Christmas gift.
SET TWO- Ya Mar got us grooving and continued to do so as it continued into Free and Harry Hood. This is amazing and I reconsidered my prior thoughts of trading tonights show for tomorrows. Ac/Dc Bag continued to bring us heat followed by a Trey ballad of Lifeboy, always enjoyed this tune which got very little play, Scent of a Mule. Hoist was being played to perfection this evening, Cavern > Antelope gave us all that warm Whisky feeling as it was going down. I was beyond pleased to have experience a Holiday show in the Big Apple.
ENCORE- A day in the life, it was the cherry on top, love how Page tears the vocals up in this one. Lennon would be proud. A great time in NYC. A great Phish experience and one of the coldest Ball drops on record, the streets of NYC were cold but inside the venue it was nothing short of scorching.

While not usually regarded as stellar a performance as the next night, this show is certainly not to be overlooked. What it lacks in "big" jams it makes up for in grade A performances throughout. Just re-listened to it yesterday, and the performances and song placement/selection make this a great show to listen to start to finish. The Harry Hood may be one of my favorites. The Divided Sky, free, Antelope, Ya Mar, and It's Ice>Kung>It's Ice are also highlights. Free, in particular, has a nice jam that is typical for the early versions. Point being, a fun and energetic show that you definitely shouldn't skip.

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